Cate is sick again. It was exactly 4 weeks from her last upper respiratory infection that this one started. This time Will got sick too. He was diagnosed with strep. The doctor treated Cate too in case she had it, but she wasn't tested. I'm really really tired of her getting sick. And, I'd really really like to know for sure that she doesn't have CF. I started not to worry about CF after the pulmonologist appointment. The asthma medicines seemed to help a little; she isn't coughing as much when she isn't sick. Then, like clockwork, she got sick again, and I start to worry again. Help!!! Please pray that they both get better and that Cate stops this cycle of getting sick every 3-4 weeks. Hopefully more encouraging updates to come.

It is official. Will has Angelman Syndrome. This is what I have felt in my heart for the past two years is the cause of Will's "specialness." We saw a specialist in Birmingham, AL (at UAB) who gave Will the clinical diagnosis of Angelman Syndrome. This is a genetic syndrome that is confirmed by lab work in 80-85% of cases. Because Will's lab tests have been normal, we had to see a doctor who had worked with enough AS kids to know enough to give a clinical diagnosis. And he said Will fit the picture of AS to a tee! Everyone keeps asking me what AS is, and rather than try to explain it in this post, I'll give the Angelman Syndrome Foundation website, and you can read until your heart's content! The address is www.angelman.org. And on a side note, Cate is sick AGAIN! The asthma meds are working between illnesses, but right on cue, she got sick again exactly 4 weeks from her last respiratory infection. Pray for her that she gets better and that she does only have asthma. More updates to come.

This afternoon Will and I were playing with his MagnaDoodle. I'm sure you all remember this toy. It's the one with the special pen that writes on the surface and has the knob you move from side to side to erase what you drew. Anyway, I wrote Will's name on it and showed it to him. Then he pointed to himself, pointed to his name, and pointed back to himself. I tested him and he did it again. Then I put Cate's name on it, and he just stared at it. I think he can read his name, or at least recognizes it!!! This may not mean a lot to some people, but to me it's AWESOME! I always knew Will was smart, and that he just can't express everything he thinks or feels. This let me know I'm right. Just wanted to share with you all how smart my BudBud is!

I took Cate to the pulmonologist in Oklahoma City yesterday. He said that Cate's history and chest x-ray findings are consistent with asthma, not cystic fibrosis! Hooray! He said with her low sweat test score and no mutations showing up so far, tha he would be shocked if she has CF! We are still going to have our pediatrician do the full CF mutation panel so we can completely rule out CF and put our minds at ease.

The pulmonologist is starting Cate on an asthma regimen. This included twice daily inhaled steroids, a short course of oral steroids, and albuterol as she needs it. He said we should start seeing some improvement over the next few weeks. If is not asthma (which is very unlikely according to the doctor), then she won't get any better and could possibly get worse. If this happens, he'll do more testing in 3 months when we go back. I'm praying that it is asthma and that she does get better. Plus, we'll have already done the full mutation panel and will know for sure that she doesn't (hopefully!!) have CF.

More updates to come. When we get the results of the mutation panel (in 5-6 weeks), I'll let everyone know. As for now, please pray that this is asthma (weird to pray for that I know) and that the medicines help Cate.

Cate had another sweat test today. This is part of the work-up for cystic fibrosis. Her first result was 41, which is indeterminate (too high to be negative and too low to be positive). The result today was 18!!! This is well within the normal range. I was very excited to hear that. It doesn't completely rule out the possibility of cystic fibrosis though. There are many people with CF who have had sweat test results as low as 10. I'm hoping this is a good sign and that Cate doesn't have CF. We're going to see a pulmonologist in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. I am going to ask him to do a test that tests for 1500 mutations that cause CF. If it's negative, that means there is a less than 1% chance she has CF. If she does have CF, it should pick it up. We're praying that she's just kind of puny and that everything will work itself out. Pray with us that she doesn't have this disease and that she'll gain weight and stop having all of these respiratory infections. I'll post again after we see Dr. Royall on Tuesday.

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My Family

Jeremiah, Barbara, Will, & Cate

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog. This page is meant to allow you to get to know me and my family better. I hope that you enjoy the stories about our family and that our experiences help you in some way. I hope to be an encouragement to others who are traveling down a similar road and to gain wisdom and encouragement from those who have traveled before me.